Geodes
by On Permanent Hiatus
Summary: Sometimes love isn't about love at first sight... maybe it's falling in love with the diamond in the rough. Oneshot. NejiTen


**Author's Note: My first NejiTen, so… flame if you want! I love roasted marshmallows… **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto–– Wait, yes I do steals Naruto-kun and hides him under bed**

"Why are you here, Tenten?" Neji sighed, rubbing his temples in slight annoyance.

"I've got nothing else to do today, and I've always wanted to see your room," the brown-bunned nin explained, sitting herself down comfortably on the Hyuuga prodigy's bed. "Besides, getting to know your teammates and stuff, right?"

"Yes, but–––"

"Oh, wow, is that one of those crystal thingies? Um… geode!" Tenten smiled in sudden recollection. "Geez, I used to try and collect these as a kid."

"Really?" Neji asked, intrigued despite himself.

"Yeah," the kunoichi replied enthusiastically. "I love them!"

"What… what about them did you love?"

"Hmm… Well, I don't know…" Tenten stared out the nearest window in contemplation. "I think… the fact that something that appeared the rough, that hard and cold could hold a core so fantastic and wonderful…" She trailed off, and then cleared her throat.

"So, um, what else do you have around here?"

"Not very much. I like to keep things simple, " Neji explained. "It prevents clutter." His teammate merely rolled her eyes, although she attempted the action covertly, at Neji's consistency in character.

"Sounds like you…" Then her eye caught something on his dresser. "What's this?" A piece of paper lay on the desk in plain view, underneath of which was a large square velvet box.

"What is…?" Neji stopped in his tracks as he saw Tenten reach for the objects, beginning to unfold the precise creases of the paper–––

"Don't touch that!" He snapped suddenly, literally slapping her hand away. Although Tenten instantly recoiled from the unexpected blow, the face that followed was one of pure emotional hurt.

"S-sorry. I… I didn't realize…" the girl gulped slightly and then took a deep breath. "You know what? I– I'm going to leave now." Guilt stabbed Neji suddenly, forcing him to reach out and catch Tenten's arm as she moved to leave.

"Tenten, wait. I'm… it's just…"

"Sorry to intrude." She shrugged off Neji's hold and ran out the door. _Did I really hurt her feelings that much_? The boy stared helplessly at the doorframe and the wall beyond it. No. No, Tenten was a kunoichi, and a weapons mistress at that. Such a little thing wouldn't harm her… would it?

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

_He hit me_, Tenten thought as she twisted beneath a scroll she held high in the air. Even as her thoughts were distracted her accuracy was flawless; every weapon hit the bulls-eye of a target. _He really hit me_.

The girl tried to reason with herself. They had sparred together before, and he had given her quite a few bruises, but… _But this is different_. _It… it was like he was almost _afraid. Why hadn't he wanted her to look at the paper or box?

Tenten abruptly realized just how much she was beating herself up over this.

"Tch, why do _I_ care?" she rationalized, dropping the scroll to her side and slowing her quickened breath. "Let that cold-hearted idiot do what he wants. He's such a _prodigy_ after all. Like a girl like me would be good enough or…" She stopped. "Good enough?" Since when did those words come out of her mouth?

"No way. I do _not_ like Neji Hyuuga," she told the silent training ground resolutely. "Ever." But now the truth lay exposed like the targets to her aim; she had developed some sort of feelings for her teammate in the time they had been together. The comprehension made her want to cry, simply because she knew that that kind of love could just not be returned.

"Geez, way to go, Tenten." Struggling as her hormones raged and her emotions billowed like the sea, the girl managed to dust herself off and head for home to prepare for tomorrow.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

_Clink_! Tenten woke with a start, and stared groggily at her clock. 6:13 AM the red numbers proclaimed boldly. _Five more minutes_… _Clink_! The shinobi opened her eyes, this time more fully awake. A third _clink_, and the girl was certain she had not imagined or dreamed the sound. Then what was that…?

"Neji…?" Gazing out the window at the glory of the pre-dawn sky, Tenten recognized the silhouette of her teammate. What was he doing up at this hour? Come to think of it, what was he doing standing below her window and throwing pebbles at the glass. Then Tenten remembered the day before.

"Oh," she breathed. Those feelings were still real. But… _But whatever it is, it must be important for Neji to get up this early and come over to my house_. Quickly Tenten dressed herself, taking extra time only to fix her hair in her normal two-bunned style.

"Um… Good morning," Tenten began as she opened the door, but before she could get more out Neji had grabbed her hand and was leading her resolutely somewhere else.

"Um, Neji? Neji, why're you…?" Tenten shook her head. _He's holding my hand…_he heartbeat sped up considerably as a warm feeling of delight filled her. _I don't know why, but please, never let go_…

Eventually they came to a stop, and Tenten let out a gasp. In front of her were the outstretched, pristine waters of a vast lake, and at the tip of the eastern shore the sun was just beginning to rise, painting the water dazzling shades of pinks and reds.

"Neji, this is…"

"I know," he replied quietly. One mission the team had been on had taken them past this lake before, Tenten remembered. At once the girl had fell in love with its beauty, and declared that it was probably the most romantic spot at sunrise, her favorite time of the day…

"But… why did you bring me here?" Tenten managed at last, bringing herself back to the present. "Neji, what's going–––?"

"I'm sorry."

"What?" he had spoken something, but Tenten could barely hear him in his lowered tone.

"I said, I'm sorry," Neji spoke up, turning to look at the kunoichi full in the face. "For–– for yesterday. About your hand." Tenten noticed with sudden embarrassed that the boy was actually still holding her hand, _that_ hand, to be specific.

"Um, it's… it's all right." Still confused, the girl attempted to just go with the flow.

"No, it's not." Neji said, clearing his throat. "I…" He looked away for a second, rubbing his forehead as he tried to gather his thoughts.

"Yes…?" Tenten prodded.

"The… the thing is I… I wrote this. For you. No, well, for myself, because I knew that I would never be able to say those things to you." To Tenten's surprise, Neji produced the paper from the day before, and held it awkwardly, as if deciding what to do with it. Finally, he chose to crumple it up and toss it in the lake.

"I had a whole speech prepared." At Tenten's apparent look, he nodded uncomfortably. "Yes, really. I practiced it over and over in my head, imagining this day when I would bring you out here and tell you what you meant to me.

"But… I just can't. Because the best way to describe it is to just tell you. Tenten, I… I wanted… I want us to be a couple." As the words came out of his mouth, Neji produced the velvet box and opened it to reveal a necklace with a geode pendant. Tenten gasped.

"Neji!" She nearly squealed in delight. "How did you…? Where did you get…?" She paused to hug him with a sudden burst of energy.

"I can't believe this is happening!"

"So… is that a yes?" Neji asked as he tried to pull his calm personality back on without much luck. Tenten smiled and leaned forward slightly, not even realizing it.

"Yes. Yes with all my heart." Before either could figure out what was happening, his nose brushed hers and they were kissing, bathed in the light of the new day.

"Do you suppose we should let them know we're here, Gai-sensei?" Rock Lee whispered meanwhile from a cluster of bushes not far off.

"No, let them be, Lee," his teacher replied, wiping overdramatic tears from his eyes. "After all, we don't want them thinking we were stalking them or any–––"

"By the way, you guys know I knew you were there the entire time, right?" Neji stood over the bush with a smirk, his arm around a surprised Tenten's waist. "I can still see 360 degrees."

"Ah, right…" Gai reluctantly exited his leafy camouflage, followed by Lee. "Then… I guess we'll start the morning off with 50 laps around the lake!"

"At once, Gai-sensei!" Lee shouted, sprinting off.

"Aw, look what you did, Neji," Tenten groaned, folding her arms across her chest.

"Look at what _I_ did? You can't blame this on me!"

"I most certainly can."

"Tenten, that's not funny!"

_Some people may ask why I love such a cold, rough, hard person like Neji Hyuuga_, Tenten thought later on. _The answer is simple, really. I merely point to my necklace and smile, saying, "Yes, but one the inside he's truly wonderful." That's why I love him. Because he's mine to love, my special geode, and I will never let him go. _

**Author's Note: So… like, don't like? Let me know what you thought by sending a review. Thanks for reading **


End file.
